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No. 7.) REGULATIONS OF SABHA FROM TWO UTTARAMALLUR INSCRIPTIONS. 41
and order), must have the above object as their aim, it is worth noting that Manu defines fishta (among Brāhmans) in the following terms! :
Dharmēn-adhigato yaistu Vēdaḥ sa-paribsimhanah
të kishtā brāhmaṇā jõēyāḥ śruti-pratyaksha-hētavaḥ 11 and that Kullūka-Bhatta gives the following gloss on it :
Brahmachary-idy-ukta-dharmēņa yair-anga-mimamsa-dharmaśāstra-puran-ady-upabrimhito Vēdo-dhigatas-tē Brāhmaṇāḥ śrutēḥ pratyakshikaraņē hētavaḥ,
yē srutim pathitvā tad-artham=upadisanti të bishțā vijñēyāḥ Indeed the few inscriptions that lay down the requisite qualifications for membership to the Sabhā, an institution that was functioning only in Brahminical villages, and the titles expressive of the attainments of the members that actually graced the Sabhās at different tirnes and at different places such as Bhatta, Shadangavid, Kramavid, Somayajin, Våjapēyayajin, Chaturvēdin, Trivēdin, etc., show that the above was actually observed and that only fishtas were elected as members.
This inscription bears at the end the signature of the madhyastha Sivadasan Mangalādityap. who is said to have written the document at the bidding of the Sabhā. Almost all transactions of assemblies are generally committed to writing by persons bearing one or the other of the official designations madhyasthan, karanattan, karanattan-madhyasthan, vētkova, etc., who affixed their signatures to the written document and in doing so they sometimes stated that, being present in the assembly and having been directed by the Sabhai-Tiruvadi or the members, they executed the task. It may perhaps be of interest to note that in ancient times there were karanattan and madhyastha appointed not only for the village assembly but also for every village, temple, divisional assembly and guild of merchants: and it was one among them that was employed by the respective bodies to perform for them the duty of the scribe or secretary. In the inscriptions of the Malayalam country, the term madhyastha figures in the form Poduväl which is but a rendering of the Sanskrit word.
TEXT. 1 Svasti Sri [II] Kachchiyun-Tañjaiyun-konda (Kan]paradövarkku yandu 25-vadu
Uttaramöru-chatu[r*]vodimangalattu=pperunkuri-sabhaiyom emm-ir-ppēr-amba
lattu 2 munbir=terriyilē pagar-kūdiy=irundu emmir=cheyda vyavastaiy-āvadu [l*] na[**]m-ür
mahā-sabhaiyömäl dandippunda dushtarga! daņdamo-ittana ullana dandam' avv-av. ändu grāma
1 Manusmriti, Ch. XII, v. 109.
See the qualifications mentioned in (1) the two Uttaramallúr inscriptions, (2) the Maxûr inscription (above, Vol. XXII, pp. 9-10) and others: Mantrabrahmaram vallan oduvitt-arivanai, Vidattilum bistrattilum biryattilum wipunar-ennappaffiruppdrai of (1); Mantrabrahmaram vallar nosittardy iruppdrai of (2); Mantrabrahmanam pallarèy vriyasi-cheyudragavum sabhamarra-cholluvaragavum : Nos. 240 and 241 of 1922.
• Above, Vol. XX, p. 237.
No. 268 of 8. I. I. (Texts), Vol. VI makes the madhyastha of a ghafiled subject to the orders of the Sabhd. For references to ir madhyasthay see Noe. 537 and 547 of 8. I. I., Vol. IV, 289 of Vol. VI, and Nos. 34 and 41 of Vol. VII: the sir-madhyastha wrote the inscription No. 289 of Vol. VI at the command of the Sabha. Naffw-madhyaatha figures in No. 489, and madhyastha of a Chaturvödimangalam in Nos. 618, 1002 and 1049 of Vol. V and in No. 180 of Vol. VI.
Here and in line 6, dandam iffana ufland stands for dandam ift-wljana. After dandam, the word iffa is omitted to be engraved : Seo line 5 where it is supplied.
